Hello Union Members!
See below for the
2024 Notice of Nominations, Election and Campaign Rules for the New York Area Metro Postal Union APWU, AFL-CIO Election of Officers and Trustees
distributed by the Union in accordance to Article 12, Section 2 of the NY Metro Constitution to all members in good standing.
These rules will also appear in the January 2024 issue of the Union Mail, on the nymetro.org website, and posted on all Union bulletin boards.
Thank you all for your attention to this matter.
The NY Metro Union Officers & Staff
2024 Notice of Nominations, Election and Campaign Rules for the New York Area Metro Postal Union APWU, AFL-CIO Election of Officers and Trustees
Pursuant to Article 12 of the New York Metro Area Postal Union (NYMAPU) Constitution, the NYMAPU Election Committee hereby proposes the following rules for the election of local union officers and trustees. The Election Committee has chosen to utilize the services of the American Arbitration Association to help conduct the election. The provisions of Article 12 of the NYMAPU Constitution not specifically mentioned herein are incorporated by reference. A copy of these rules will promptly be provided to any member who requests a copy.
1. Election Committee: The following individuals have been appointed by President Jonathan Smith and approved by the Executive Board to serve on the Election Committee and have full authority to implement all aspects of the election:
William Bachmann
Sandra (Penny) Guzman
Marialeone Vidal
Roberto Rodriguez
Genevieve Gardner
All correspondence to the Election Committee should be addressed or faxed to:
New York Metro Area Postal Union
350 West 31st Street, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10001
Fax: (212) 643-9051
Attn: Election Committee
2. Application of NYMAPU Constitution: The election will be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the NYMAPU Constitution, amended June 19, 2013.
3. Officers to be Elected: The following officers are to be elected: President, Executive Vice-President, Director of Industrial Relations, Secretary-Treasurer, Director of Organization, Coordinating Vice-President, Legislative/Political Director, Director of the Bronx Division, Assistant Director of the Bronx Division, Director of the Clerk Division, Assistant Director of the Clerk Division, Director of Motor Vehicle, Director of Maintenance Division, Assistant Director of Maintenance Division, Director of Morgan P&DC, Assistant Director of Morgan P&DC, Director of the Dominick V. Daniels Facility, Assistant Director of the Dominick V. Daniels Facility, Director of the NJI Network Distribution Center, Assistant Director of the NJI Network Distribution Center and five (5) Trustees.
4. Term of Office: The term of office is three (3) years. The installation of officers will be held at the next regular membership meeting after the election is certified by the Election Committee Chair.
5. Candidate Eligibility: To be eligible to hold office a member must meet the following criteria:
Any member in good standing shall be eligible to be a candidate for officer or trustee provided he/she has been a member in good standing continuously for one (1) year prior to the nominations meeting, with the following exceptions:
(a) Any member who has an application pending for a supervisor position in the Postal Service through participating in the PASS program, or other similar programs, shall be ineligible to be a candidate, hold any elective, and/or appointed position in the Union;
(b) Any employee eligible to be a member of the union who voluntarily holds a managerial, supervisory or EAS with responsibility for issuing or recommending discipline, or applying or interpreting the national agreement for the equivalent of a two (2) week period in a year, is ineligible to hold office for a period of one (1) year from the time the employee vacated such position; or
(c) Any member who has submitted an application for a managerial, supervisory and/or EAS position with responsibility for issuing, or recommending discipline, or for applying or interpreting the national agreement shall withdraw such application prior to acceptance of nomination for any office in the union.
6. Nominators: To be eligible to nominate a candidate the nominator must be a member in good standing. In the case of craft officers, only a member of that particular craft may be nominated or vote for a candidate for craft office.
7. Nomination Notice: On or before Thursday, January 11, 2024, the Notice of Nominations will be posted on Union bulletin boards in all postal facilities. The Notice of Nominations also will be inserted in the January 2024 issue of the Union Mail. The notice will advise the membership of candidate eligibility requirements, offices to be filled, the date, time and place of nominations, and the procedure for submitting and accepting nominations.
Nominations: Nominations will be conducted at the regular membership meeting on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, at 5:30 pm by Zoom link and/or in person.
Prior to the nominations meeting, the Election Committee will ensure the availability of a current list of members in good standing. At the meeting oral nominations will be accepted from the floor. No seconds will be required. Self-nomination will be permitted. Members need not be present to be nominated. Nominees can accept their nomination orally at the meeting or by prior written acceptance. All nominees must file an Acceptance of Nomination notice with the Election Committee by Monday, March 4, 2024.
8. Candidate Eligibility Determinations: The Election Committee will review the NYMAPU dues records to determine the eligibility of all nominees. Eligible nominees will be notified of their eligibility, provided a copy of these rules, and asked how they wish their names to appear on the ballot. Ineligible nominees will be advised of the reason(s) they are not eligible to run for office.
9. Slate Voting: Any group of candidates representing at least sixty (60) percent of offices to be filled may run as a slate, provided they notify the Election Committee of their intention to do so no later than 12 noon, Monday, March 4, 2024. Detailed information on slates is laid out in NYMAPU Constitution, Article 12, Section 11, (a) through (e).
10. Candidates Meeting: The Election Committee will meet with any interested candidate(s) or their designee, who must be a Union member, on Thursday, March 7, 2024, 11:00 am by Zoom link and/or at the New York Metro Area Postal Union office, 350 W. 31 St., 3 Floor, New York, N.Y. 10001, to discuss the election procedures.
11. Inspection of Membership List: The NYMAPU will make its most current membership list available for inspection by any candidate or their designee, upon request the week of March 4, 2024, between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm. Candidates wishing to inspect the list must make an appointment: to do so they should contact NYMAPU Secretary-Treasurer Denisha Dobbins at (212) 563-7553, ext. 107, twenty-four (24) hours prior to the date. A candidate’s right to inspect the membership list does not include the right to copy or receive a copy of it.
12. Campaign Restrictions: The Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA) requires that all candidates be treated equally with respect and the opportunity to campaign. Section 401(g) of the LMRDA provides that “no moneys received by any other labor organization by way of dues, assessments, or similar levy, and no moneys of an employer shall be contributed or applied to promote the candidacy of any person in the election subject to the provisions of this title. Such moneys of a labor organization may be utilized for notices, factual statements of issues not involving candidates, and other expenses necessary for the holding of an election.”
This prohibition extends to equipment, vehicles, office supplies, records and personnel of the NYMAPU and any other labor organization, and to any employees, regardless of whether they employ Union members.
The LMRDA prescribes that members who exercise their right to support candidates of their choice may not be subjected to penalties, discipline or reprisals of any kind by a labor organization, or its members.
13. Distribution of Candidate’s Campaign Material: A candidate desiring to mail campaign materials to the NYMAPU membership shall make such a request to the Election Committee no later than five (5) days before the ballots are counted. Uniform prices for mailing services will apply to all candidates.
14. Watchers: Candidates are entitled to designate themselves or one (1) watcher to be present at the tallying of ballots. Watchers must be members of NYMAPU.
15. Voter Eligibility: All members of record will be mailed ballots. Only the ballots of members in good standing as of the date of the ballot count will be tallied. Good standing for voter eligibility is defined as being current in dues and meeting the other eligibility requirements on Article 3 of the NYMAPU Constitution.
Only members employed in or at:
(a) A Bronx installation shall be eligible to be nominated for the position of Director or Assistant Director of the Bronx.
(b) The Dominick V. Daniels facility in Kearny, New Jersey shall be eligibility to be nominated for the position of Director or Assistant Director of the Dominick V. Daniels facility.
(c) The NJI Network Distribution Center in Jersey City, New Jersey shall be eligible to be nominated for the position of Director or Assistant Director of the NJI Network Distribution Center.
(d) The Morgan P&DC facility shall be eligible to be nominated for the position of Director or Assistant Director of Morgan P&DC facility.
16. Election Notices: Election Notices will be posted on all union bulletin boards in all postal facilities no later than March 18, 2024 and in the March 2024 edition of The Union Mail.
17. Ballot Preparations and Mailing: The Election Committee and the American Arbitration Association will design the official ballot and comprehensive voting instructions. The printing, acquisition, custody, control, and distribution of ballots will be under the supervision of the Election Committee and the American Arbitration Association. In addition to the ballot, the American Arbitration Association will arrange ballot return envelopes pre-addressed to the official location for return of the ballots.
No later than March 29, 2024 ballot packages will be mailed to all members. Each member will be mailed: Instructions on voting and ballot return, one (1) unmarked ballot, one (1) small envelope marked “Secret Ballot Envelope,” and one (1) larger return envelope addressed to the American Arbitration Association with member identification (signature required for membership verification only). Ballots will be returned to the offices of the American Arbitration Association and safeguarded.
Undeliverable ballots returned to the American Arbitration Association will be kept separate. The American Arbitration Association will regularly inform the Election Committee of the undeliverable ballots. The Election Committee will make reasonable efforts to find updated addresses for these members so that the American Arbitration Association can mail them clearly identified duplicate ballots. If both an original ballot and a duplicate ballot are received for same member, only the original ballot will be counted.
No earlier than seven (7) days after the mailing of the ballots or no later than five (5) days before the ballots are due, any member who has not received a ballot may request that the American Arbitration Association mail a duplicate ballot to him/her. All requests for duplicate ballots either by mail or phone must be sent directly to the address below or requested by calling the number listed:
American Arbitration Association
120 Broadway
New York, N.Y. 10271
212 484-4136
18. Collection and Tally of Ballots: All ballots must be received on or before 10:00 am, April 26, 2024. The counting of the ballots will commence immediately afterward.
The Election Committee will observe the verification of eligibility conducted by the American Arbitration Association. Any candidate or watcher may attend and observe. The Union will provide the American Arbitration Association with its most current eligibility list. For a ballot to be counted, the member must be in good standing at the time of verification. All ballots received from members declared ineligible to vote will be separated from the ballots of eligible members and will be considered challenged ballots, and the reason for the challenge will be noted. The American Arbitration Association will safeguard all challenged ballots.
After the verification of eligibility is completed, the American Arbitration Association will tally ballots under the supervision of the Election Committee. Only American Arbitration Association personnel will physically handle the ballots. Candidates or watchers will be allowed to observe the counting process. No candidates or watcher will be allowed in the ballot room with a coat, folder and/or bags(s) of any sort.
Write-in votes will not be counted. Candidates who receive the greatest number (plurality) of votes cast will be declared elected.
19. Publication of Election Rules: The Union will publish the results of the election in the Union Mail and post them on Union Bulletin boards.
20. Preservation of Election Records: The Union will preserve the election records for at least one (1) year after all appeals have been exhausted.
21. Election Protests: Any member who feels aggrieved in connection with the conduct of the election shall file his or her protest with the Election Committee. Such protest(s) must be in writing, setting forth the specific facts, signed by the protestor, and addressed to the Election Committee within seventy-two (72) hours after the cause of protest has arisen. Appeals from an adverse decision of the Election Committee may be further appealed as per Article 12, Sections 8 and 9 of American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Constitution & By-laws.
22. Installation of Officers: Newly elected officers will be installed at the next regular union membership meeting after the Election Committee Chair has certified the election.
The above rules are not all inclusive. The NYMAPU Election Committee, as needed, may issue additional election rules or clarifications during the nomination and election period.
ISSUED BY THE NYMAPU ELECTION COMMITTEE:
William Bachmann
Sandra (Penny) Guzman
Marialeone Vidal
Roberto Rodriquez
Genevieve Gardner
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